F1 2019 season

First topic message reminder :

Felt like a new season deserves a new thread...

It's reported in Italy that Maurizio Arrivabene has been fired. His strained relationship with Ferrari's prized asset Sebastian Vettel and cost him his job. Arrivabene got one last dig at Vettel though by replacing Raikkonen with LeClerc.

Mattia Binotto will be confirmed as new team boss

Its been confirmed that Lewis Hamilton has had talks with Ferrari.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/50755301

Ferrari chief executive officer Louis Carey Camilleri said at a media lunch that Hamilton has had "conversations" with chairman John Elkann.

Camilleri said Ferrari were "very flattered Lewis in particular, and other drivers, want to join us".

"It's totally premature - we'll look at our options at the appropriate time and see what is the best fit," he added.

So...equal Schumacher's record next season, then break it in 2021 with Ferrari?

It's too early to make plans like this.

Suppose Vettel wins the WDC next year in a Ferrari. They'd want to keep him, but they'd look foolish (more than usual) if they'd already replaced him!

Not surprised to see that Toto has been manoeuvring himself behind the scenes, in trying to replace the outgoing, Chase Carey, as CEO, in, 2021. Typical political response from Ferrari, where they intend to veto any kind of deal.

Toto has been hinting at needing a new challenge, and I’d expect if his future lies away from Mercedes, then so might, Hamilton’s.

Marky wrote:It's too early to make plans like this.

Suppose Vettel wins the WDC next year in a Ferrari. They'd want to keep him, but they'd look foolish (more than usual) if they'd already replaced him!

I know...I was being a bit flippant.

But lets face it, there are minimal regulation changes next season and Ferrari have shown that even when they have the most powerful engine on the grid, they still find ways to sabotage themselves.

On top of that, the rivalry between Seb and Charles will only intensify. Leclerc outscored Vettel in his first season with the team, proving he is the future. Unless Ferrari make a decision to back him over Vettel, I foresee more of the kind of incidents that helped their season to unravel. Since Seb won't accept being a #2 driver, I'm betting next season will pan out much like this one.

2021 is a complete re-set. Everyone will be starting from scratch, so if Lewis is seriously entertaining driving for Ferrari, that would be his best bet. He is one of the few drivers that can make a car perform better than it should, so even if Ferrari don't have the best package, he could still be competitive.

if Vettel and LeClerc cant coexist why would you think Hamilton and LeClerc would when Lewis has ended up having a war with every teammate that's actually posed a threat

If Toto Woolf leaves Mercedes as team principle then Hamilton will consider his options.   If Toto Woolf stays then so will Hamilton.  So Toto Woolf is key.   Niki Lauda was also integral to that team and was the one that courted and finally persuaded Hamilton to move to Mercedes.  So his passing had a huge impact on team Mercedes.

For Hamilton it's all about creating a work-lifestyle balance.  He is not one of those able to dedicate 100% of their time to formula one.

Next year should be interesting - the performance gaps between Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull have narrowed.  Ferrari have had the best engine for about three years. Mercedes and Ferrari have been sort of neck and neck - but Ferrari and Vettel have proven to be somewhat brittle.  Leclerc has been a breath of fresh air for them (Ferrari and Vettel - who has stagnated).  If Red Bull - Honda have a competitive car at the beginning of the season then they will also challenge for titles.  They have always improved quicker than the rest as the season has progressed.

really depends how much teams are going to settle for prepping for 2021 in the last year of the current design rules. That they're just going to use the 2019 tyres this year kinda suggests that's theres at least 1 eye on the next era

GSC wrote:if Vettel and LeClerc cant coexist why would you think Hamilton and LeClerc would when Lewis has ended up having a war with every teammate that's actually posed a threat

Good point, but unlike Vettel, Hamilton can actually do wheel-to-wheel racing.

I don't doubt there would be dramas, but at least on track I would expect them to keep things clean...most of the time...

Robert Kubica has pulled out of a deal with RP, and signed a deal to become Alfa Romeo’s reserve driver for 2020, bringing his backer PKN Orlen with him.

Kubica’s new role comes following the agreement of a “multi-year partnership’’, between the Swiss team and Polish oil company PKN Orlen, which will see them compete as ‘Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN’ in, 2020.